


Scattered, Unhinged but Okay

by Halo_Around_the_Moon



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Aftermath of Torture, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Mental Instability, Protect him at all cost, Ralph is a Good Boy, Sickfic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-08
Updated: 2018-11-18
Packaged: 2019-06-07 04:23:48
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 2,500
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15210920
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Halo_Around_the_Moon/pseuds/Halo_Around_the_Moon
Summary: Ralph found an unconscious male human.There wasn’t supposed to be a human.No, no human was allowed in his house. They only caused trouble, they only confused him, they only hurt him and No Human Was Allowed.





	1. Chapter 1

Ralph found an unconscious male human.  
There wasn’t supposed to be a human.  
No, no human was allowed in his house. They only caused trouble, they only confused him, they only hurt him and _no human was allowed._

They came before.  
Ralph only wanted a friend.

Ralphs LED light burned red, which was the default color nowadays. It’s red shine would accompany Ralph when he was hiding in the small hiding place beneath the stairs.

 

**/ Stress level high /**

 

Yeah, Ralph made a safe place. Safe. Hide away. No humans.  
The hiding place shone red from Ralphs LED when Ralph hid there.  
Red meant _safe_ , meant hidden, meant no humans could find Ralph.  
But red also coated the human. It still sluggishly came out of the several wounds of the Intruder.

 

**/ Male, about 23 years old. Estimated 1m90 tall. 4 visible superficial wounds, 1 deep wound in the shoulder. Breathing slowed. Steady heartbeat: 50 BPM. Loss of consciousness. Medical care required /**

 

Ralph knew this. Ralph was smart, but _no humans were allowed_. NO HUMANS –

 

**/ Stress level high /**

 

Ralph went through a lot of trouble.  
But Ralph is not bad. No, not bad. Ralph wanted to help. No one helped Ralph. Ralph wanted help. Ralph didn’t get it though. No, no he did not. Ralph did _not_ –

Ralph dragged the body under the stairs. Apologized silently. But Ralph will take care of Intruder. Androids knew how to take care of humans. Unlike humans, who didn’t know how to take care of Androids. Or about anything, apparently, Ralph thought when Ralph cleansed, stitched and bandaged the wounds. It was soothing. Take care. Keep safe. Ralph could do that. Ralph could.


	2. Chapter 2

Take care. Keep safe. Ralph could do that. Ralph could.

\--

Ralph could not.

The human started a small fever after 4 hours, 33 minutes and 24 seconds. The person started muttering and sweating and still _didn’t wake up_.

Ralph was supposed to _take care_ -

 

**/ 38.2°C Elevated heartrate and breathing. Healing wounds. No signs of infection. Dehydrated. Malnourished/**

 

Intruder had to wake up. Ralph hit it – not too hard, never too hard, not harsh, _never_ as harsh as the humans did – on the face.

Ralph scattered away and observed.

Intruder didn’t wake up immediately.

Ralph repeated the process.

Inadequate results.

 

**/New plan of attack necessary/**

 

Ralph didn’t want to search the internet. The internet is not safe. No hiding there. Ralph has to hide, no, no internet. But Ralph was smart enough anyway. Yeah, he was. Ralph could take care. Ralph cared.

Ralph knew Intruder needed some water, as a first. Some painkillers too lower the fever. Some sugar for energy. Solved in water Ralph could spoon it all in Intruders mouth. No biggy.

27 minutes 36 seconds later Ralph acquired all the ingredients. Ralph was giddy of his achievement. No noticing. Still safe. If you knew where to search, you could find. And Ralph knew, Ralph was smart.

Okay. Now touch. Softly touch. Not hard, just. Touch.

Ralphs ventilator was working overtime.

 

**/ Stress level high /**

 

“ _Touch has a memory_ ” said John Keats.

No pleasant memory for Ralph, not for Ralph-

 

*

“No touching Ralph no more, please! Please. _Please_. Please, just. No – no touching no –“

*

 

Jerk head, pull lips, scrunch nose. No touching NO TOUCHING –

 

3 minutes pass by.

10.

Soft. Soft touching should be fine. Has to be _fine_ , mission is to _take care_.

So Ralph does. Place head on lap. Small quantities. Spoon after spoon swallowed instinctively.

48 minutes 23 seconds and Ralph made it.

Ralph did it. Take care. Keep safe.

Ralphs servos work overtime. Deviancy absorbs energy like a sponge absorbs water.

 

The shine of the Red LED Light accompanied the darkness of the night.

 

**/ 37.7°C. Healing wounds. No signs of infection. Malnourished/**

 

 

**/ Stand-by modus /**


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Graphic Depictions Of Violence in the flashback (in between the *) it's a Ralph POV of how he got his scarring - nothing extremely explicit, but take care of yourselves!

**/ Stand by modus /**

 

Stand-by modus used to be a silent place. Pitch dark. No input. After trimming the bushes, mowing the grass, watering the flowers, came for WR600 the android version of human sleep: stand by modus.

Minus the dreams, that is.

 

Deviancy changed that.

 

First, Ralph adored the dreams. They made Ralph giddy. Yeah, Ralph liked it. Fields of flowers. A caring family. Being loved. Belonging.

The dreams made Ralph’s day. Ralph’s days were lonely. Ralph was lonely. But also, more importantly, Ralph was safe. Ralph hid. Ralph found a place for his own. No more – no more _humans_.

They were the reason for Ralph’s nightmare.

The humans _caused_ the nightmare.

~~That’s why _no_ humans were allowed. ~~

Ralph couldn’t stop the nightmare from sneaking its way in Ralph’s stand-by modus.

But Ralph couldn’t _not_ go in stand-by modus. Ralph’s servos couldn’t handle that.

 

The first time the servos died, Ralph went to the junkyard.

Ralph shouldn’t have went there. Ralph was so scared. Down there, they wanted to rip Ralph apart. Ralph’s thirium pump was clawed at. Ralph’s only good working eye. And their _begging_ -

Ralph can’t go back to Cyberlife for new servos. No Ralph can’t. Cyberlife would only see _broken_ , _useless_ , _deviant_. Ralph would be decommissioned, Ralph did not WANT THAT –

 

So Ralph was brave. Yeah. Brave. Stand-by modus and the nightmare was Ralph’s ~~only~~ best option.

 

*****

Ralph was terrified.

 

**/ _Damage assessment_ : Left eye critically damaged: iris & sclera not in optimal working order. Multiple superficial wounds: located on head, upper arms & hands. Thirium pump overheating. Several internal dents caused by external trauma. Movement restricted./**

 

“Just hold it still, God damnit.”

“Woah, bro, maybe you shouldn’t –“

“Maybe you should shut the hell up.”

“Ralph did nothing wrong! Ralph doesn’t like this. Don’t – Ralph has been good. D-don’t touch Ralph, please – “

 

**/ Stress level high /**

 

Ralph didn’t _understand_. Why did they take Ralph. Ralph still had to finish trimming the bushes of park 14A. Ralph had to _finish_ –

Ralph’s clothes were dirty. Ralph laid down with his chest on the ground with Ralph’s arms bound on his back. Ralph couldn’t get his clothes dirty. No, NO you can’t make the clothes _dirty_.

A boot on Ralph’s head. Ralph can’t see. Right eye is smudged against the floor. Ralph can’t _see –_

_…_

**/ Damage assessment: multiple burn marks. Irreversible skin damage. Cause: extreme heat. Biocomponent analysis. Loss of blue blood - /**

“NO, no touching Ralph no more, please! Please. _Please_. Please, just. No – no touching no –“

*

 

**/ Stand-by modus ended /**

"There you are. Hey shht, breath for me, okay? Just- just breath for a second."


	4. Chapter 4

**/ Stand-by modus ended /**

 

"There you are. Hey shht, breath for me, okay? Just- just breath for a second."

 

 _Human_ voice. Hand. There’s a hand coming towards Ralph. Ralph recoils. No more hands – no more TOUCHING – underneath the stairs is supposed to be _safe_ – he doesn’t WANT –

 

**/ Stress level high /**

 

SAFE – Ralph’s supposed to be _safe_ –

Jerk head, pull lips, scrunch nose. Hide in the corner. Cradle head. Cover the red LED light. Once Ralph forgot that – Ralph won’t make that mistake again.

What’s a human doing in Ralph’s house? NO humans are allowed in Ralph’s house. No, nono, no no nO – definitely not – Ralph wants the intruder to go _away_ -

 

**/ Servos overheating – reaching critical temperature. Engaging additional cool-down trough simulated perspiration to prevent shutdown /**

 

Ralph doesn’t like that function. Ralph does not. It was a long time ago Ralph had to use additional simulated breathing to prevent overheating. That function means Ralph is not okay. Ralph was trying to be OKAY - to be _safe_ – to prevent _shutdown_ -

 _Shutdown_.

Ralph doesn’t want to _DIE_ -

Ralph -

Ralph was supposed to be _safe_.

Breathe. Why can’t Ralph get enough BREATH!? Ralph is _trying_ –

 

Hand. The humans hand is touching Ralphs _arm_.

~~The hand doesn’t hurt Ralph.~~

“Hey, focus on me Ralph. Ralph - your name is Ralph, right? Just – calm down, you can do this, can’t you? Just follow me for a moment – don’t hunch like that you won’t be able to breathe, hold on-“

 

Ralph can’t think about anything else than the _hand_ – but Ralph has to _breathe_ – panic is clawing at Ralph's troath -

 

Suddenly Ralph is being repositioned. Ralph feels warmth covering his whole back, and there is the hand again. What will the hand _do_? Ralph doesn’t want to hurt again, not again - Ralph has been _good_ – Ralph has tried to stay _hidden_ –

The hand takes Ralph’s forehead. Not Ralph’s face again – no more scars – please, Ralph is just so _tired_ –

 

**/ Servos overheating – reaching critical temperature. Engaging additional cool-down trough simulated perspiration to prevent shutdown /**

 

Ralph already _knows that_ - 

“Ralph. Stop fending me off, please. Ralph, listen. I’m not going to hurt you, okay? You need to breathe now so let me help, okay?”

Ralph’s head is being bent backwards and placed on the shoulder of the human.

Ralph can breathe now. Heh. The sudden rush of cool air now freely enters Ralph’s body. Ralph can feel it travel to his warm servos. Ralph will be _okay_. No shutdown. Ralph will be okay. Ralph will -

The INTRUDER - Ralph _forgot_ –

 

Oh

 

_Oh_

 

Ralph’s supposed to take care of this one.

Why did Ralph forget? _Silly_ Ralph.

 

“There you go. Breathe in and out. Steady. You’re doing great.”


	5. Chapter 5

Ralph’s supposed to take care of this one.

Why did Ralph forget? Silly Ralph.

 

Ralph forgot. Silly Raph. Silly _silly_ **_silly_** -

Ralph feels like he’s reeling. Ralph is constantly _feeling_. Ralph’s still surprised by it. What was it like to not feel? Ralph doesn’t _know_ anymore. Normally Ralph remembers quite a lot. ~~Sadly Ralph never forgets the things Ralph would rather forget.~~

 

The voice of the Intruder keeps on going on and on with his ramble.

Breathe in.  
Breathe out.

 

Ralph is… _liking_ it? Ralph hopes that’s okay. Yeah, it’s probably okay. Is it? It’s simple mission parameters. Easily followed, easily accomplished. The voice says Ralph is doing great. That’s nice. Simulated endorphins are flowing trough his thirium pump. That’s nice also.

 

Breathe in.

Breathe out.

 

Ralph doesn’t know what else to do. So just - not doing anything is wat Ralph is going to do? Yeah. That sounds _nice_. Ralph is going to do nothing. Except breathing. Except feeling the constant rumble of the vocal chords of Intruder, against whom Ralph is still pressed. Nice.

But Ralph doesn’t _like_ human touch. Didn’t like, anyway.

 

Maybe human touch is not supposed to hurt ~~?~~.

 

Breathe in.

Breathe …out.

 

**/Servos – standard temperature. Additional cooldown trough simulated perspiration ending./**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was going to say that it's a short chapter - but then I realised that all my chapters are short hehe. Thank you for taking a piece of your time and reading this chapter, hope you liked it! ^_^


	6. Chapter 6

**/Servos – standard temperature. Additional cool-down trough simulated perspiration ending./**

 

Ralph feels the additional airflow cut off. Switching back on normal ventilation feels strange. Okay. Okayokay.

What should Ralph do now?

There is no scenario like this in Ralph’s manual. There are a _lot_ of possible scenario’s in the manual. A lot of plausible ones, even. Not this one, though. No “Ralph-let-a- _human_ -inside-Ralph’s-house,-Ralph-freaked-out,-Intruder-helped-Ralph,-Ralph-is-momentarily-sitting-between-said-Intruders-legs,-leaning-on-Intruder’s-chest-and-Ralph’s-head-on-Intruders-shoulder”–scenario. How surprising.

 

**/Servos – standard temperature: reactivating disabled advanced functions/**

 

Ralph hadn’t noticed that some functions were disabled because Ralph needed as much energy as possible too cool down.

Now though, Ralph could once again see colors. Monochrome switched for the whole range of visible light. Ralph could hear the rain pour outside. The rumble of thunder low and soothing. Now Ralph could once again smell the old, familiar and comforting smell of Ralph’s hide-away. _Safe_.

Except, the Hand slowly combing trough Ralph’s synthetic blonde hair is something new. Repetitive. Soft. ~~Calming~~.  

The sudden noise of Intruders stomach grunting is neither a familiar sensation.

Ralph flinches because of it. The living body behind Ralph’s synthetic one tenses and The Hand stops moving over Ralph’s hair. ~~Ralph wishes it hadn’t stopped.~~

A self-deprecating chuckle from behind Ralph. “Uh, heh, sorry for that.”

The Intruder sounds …

 

**/Searching database/**

 

Embarrassed?

The voice continues: “Are you okay?”

 

Ralph sits more forward, leaning on his palms, turns a bit and looks over his shoulder at the human. Stares.

Huh. Ralph rather likes the brown eyes. It’s a warm color. They look expectant.

~~Can humans have puppy-eyes? Intruders eyes look a lot like puppy eyes. Ralph has a lot of puppy pictures stored on his hard drive. They’re nice.~~

 

Oh! Ralph should answer! Conversation. Use those vocal chords: “Servos are at standard temperature -advanced functions were reactivated 1 minute and 38 seconds ago. On several places Ralph’s skin can’t regenerate due to severe damaging caused by external trauma, Ralph’s left eye isn’t fully operational but Ralph can work just fine - no need to _decommission_ , no need to –

“Ralph.” The human stops his rambling, “Thank you for.. the information. But – I meant do you _feel_ okay now?”

…

“Yeah. Ralph thinks he’s feeling okay”

“That’s great, Ralph." the Human's lips quirk up in a small smile, there and gone. "Uhm. Where are we?”

“Ralph found Intruder right here! You were hurt. See? See Ralph helped you! Look, Ralph bandaged Humans wounds. Ralph was very careful. Take care. Ralph doesn’t hurt. Ralph takes care. Ralph got you some medicine. He got it without being noticed. Ralph is smart, you see? Still safe.” Giddy. Mission parameters were being fulfilled. Ralph was doing great. Ralph turned around completely to sit on his knees. He showed the Human his work, careful to not put pressure on the wounds.

Human looked genuinely surprised, impressed even: “Wow. Ralph, thank you.” The intruder paused for a second. “Oh and my name is Noah? I’m sorry for bothering you. I won’t intrude any longer." Ralph realizes then. Ralph called him an Intruder. How rude. Being rude is not in the mission parameters.  Noah continues: "Uhm, I’ll be on my way then. Thank you for taking care.”

 

**/Mission parameters: “Take care, keep safe” Current status: Ongoing/**

 

Ralph feels a surge of panic. ~~The Intruder~~ Noah isn’t yet completely healed; Ralph was taking care of him. _Still_ had to take care of him – the mission’s parameters aren’t _achieved_ yet -

Any thought goes flying out of the room the moment Ralph sees Noah rising on his feet but buckling down immediately.

 

**/ Damage assessment: human stability compromised – Possible cause: sprained ankle, energy shortage due to lack of nourishment, vertigo -**

 

Ralph stops listening. Ralph is lightning quick on his feet. Ralph has to _take care_ – Ralph is fast. Ralph catches the Human mid fall and as softly as possible guides them both to sit down. Ralph can keep Noah safe. Ralph checks the stupid, silly, foolish Human.

 

**/ 37.5°. Healing wounds. Shoulder wound re-opened. No signs of infection. Malnourished. Superficial breathing. Increased heartbeat./**

Blood is coming through the bandage Ralph made earlier. Ralph’s mission parameters are viciously popping up in Ralph’s vision. Take care. Keep safe.

Ralph is… annoyed. Ralph worries.

 

Ralph had to _take care_.

 

“Ralph thinks - Noah should stay for a while. It’s pouring outside, see? It will get dark soon. Noah should stay. For a while. Get rest. Ralph will try to find some sustenance. Ralph can take care of wounds. Ralph knows how to. Here it’s _safe_.”

 

Ralph looks up at the humans eyes. They move back and forth to Ralph’s natural brown and damaged blue one. Ralph looks away.

 

Noah’s voice croaks “That would be nice of you, thank you, Ralph”

 

**/Mission parameters: “Take care, keep safe” Current status: Ongoing/**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Psst hey you, yeah, you. Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed it


End file.
